The Good News

Together, keeping BC beautiful for over 90 years.

BC Brewers have led the way in product and environmental stewardship. Ever since Prohibition ended, we’ve encouraged beer container and packaging recycling.

Many happy returns! You’re playing a major role!

Thanks to you, the overall return rate continues to top 90% year after year. This is one of the highest return rates in North America. Well done. Thanks to you we’re making a difference. Exactly how much? Read on…

How we’re turning things around for the environment

Over 286 million containers were returned for reuse

between 2015 and 2019. (Because brown beer bottles can be re-used up to 15 times.) Awesomely awesome results.

Over 177,000 tonnes of solid waste diverted from BC landfill

by re-using bottles and recycling aluminum. This doesn’t include secondary packaging such as cardboard and plastic wrap. (Yup. We recycle those too.)

Manufacturing aluminum from recycled materials uses only 5% of the energy needed to make a brand new can.

Using recycled materials means:

60% less nitrogen oxide (acid rain, ground level ozone, global warming)
90% less sulphur oxide
95% less particulate matte

Eliminates approximately 86,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gases annually…

Equivalent to:

pulling about 18,695 cars off of B.C. roads
the energy contained in 199,108 barrels of oil

2019 REPORT CARD

91% RETURN RATE

643 million collected (Lined up end to end, enough to circle the earth 4 times)

OVER 1140 RETURN LOCATIONS

Beer bottles & cans earn a 10 refund at all BC Liquor stores, all private liquor stores and private bottle depots.

OVER 44 MILLION BOTTLES COLLECTED

Return rate of 96.1%
Bottles refilled an average of 15 times before being recycled into new glass bottles

OVER 598 MILLION CANS COLLECTED

Return rate of 90.4%
Recycling aluminum cans takes 95% less energy than producing new ones
Recycling reduces atmospheric emissions, solid and waster borne waste